Best Music Streaming Services Online

By

The age of music streaming has provided listeners with a way to listen to their favorite music tracks without having to break the bank or face any legal issues such as Napster did a few years back. There are hundreds of music streaming websites online which are both free and paid but the nice part is the ones that are paid are still much less than what you would pay to own an entire album by one artist.

If you would like to listen to your favorite music and save some money in the process, there are a few music streaming services which are considered to be at the top of their league on the Internet. Hopefully, this information will provide you with a place to start looking for the latest music tracks and music from just about any genre or decade.

Pandora

If it is radio you are looking for Pandora is one of the top radio websites online which allows you to create up to one hundred customized stations through Pandora’s Music Genome Project. The Music Genome Project is an ongoing music analysis project by Pandora which is run by a team of musician analysts.

When you use Pandora to locate your favorite music, each time you perform a search the Music Genome Project will scan the comprehensive library of analyzed music which covers more than a century of recording from different genres. This helps you to customize your own station so you can relax and listen to all of your favorite music using one station.

Registration for Pandora is free and only requires your email address and password to save your customized stations and to access Pandora from anywhere.

Sony Music Unlimited

If you are a gamer and you would like access to millions of music tracks you may like Sony Music Unlimited. When you establish an account on the Sony Unlimited website you can listen to music on a wide variety of devices including your PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Sony Tablet, Android phone, Bravia TV, and a Windows-based or Mac PC.

Membership to Sony Unlimited starts at less than $4 per month and there is a free trial available for the Premium Plan. You must be over 18 years of age to sign up for the Premium Plan beginning with the free trial, and a credit card number is required in order to establish an account. If you choose not to cancel your subscription to the Premium Plan the cost is $9.99 per month which is charged to your credit card after the free trial period has expired.

Sony Music Unlimited provides you with access to millions of songs from virtually any genre. Plus you can choose only what you want to listen to and then customize your own channel.

Spotify

Spotify is a music streaming service which allows you to build your own playlists from a wide genre of music which is made up of millions of different selections. Spotify was launched in Europe and recently it has been offered to residents in the United States.

You can access Spotify and listen to music for free if you do not find the ads bothersome. Or you can choose the paid version of Spotify Unlimited for less than $5 each month or the Premium version which allows you a web subscription plus a subscription for one mobile device for less than $10 per month. There are also mobile apps available for the iPhone and Android phone and the capability to use Spotify on a Windows-based or Mac PC by installing a user interface downloadable from the Spotify website.

Spotify also integrates well with your existing music library and offers social networking features which allow you to collaborate with your Facebook friends regarding music interests and playlist selections. When you setup a Spotify account you can also build playlists in the cloud so they are easily accessible from almost anywhere.

Grooveshark

Grooveshark is a free music streaming service which provides you with the opportunity to stream music on demand as opposed to having to go through a subscription-based service. This means you can listen to the selections you want to hear at any time and from any location.

If you like to use social networking to share with your friends, Grooveshark provides a way for you to build customized playlists and share them with others on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. You can also upload your MP3 files and share those with your friends as well.

If you opt to use a free account you will find advertisements on the user interface which resembles Windows Media Player. If you do not mind seeing the ads the free account is not a bad deal. On the other hand, if you find the free account annoying due to the number of advertisements you can upgrade to a paid Grooveshark Plus account for less than $6 each month. There is also a premium account known as Grooveshark Anywhere for less than $10 per month which allows you to access playlists and songs from anywhere and from any device compatible with Grooveshark.

The audio quality for Grooveshark is comparable to other music streaming services such as Spotify and others and allows for track rewinding and viewing videos on YouTube which are related to the song you are listening to.

Maestro

Maestro is basically a music streaming cloud storage service which allows you to access your personal music library regardless of what device you store it on. Maestro provides an interactive experience through the use of Maestro Connector software which you can download to a Windows-based or Mac PC, iPhone or Android, or gaming device.

Once you download the Maestro Connector software you can configure it to default to any folder you wish such as your iTunes folder. The software then quickly scans all of your playlists and creates a database in your Maestro profile online. You can also run the software in the background of your device to instantly stream music on demand. You can also configure the software to play songs as you want to hear them and connect the software to your social media accounts for sharing with others.

To access Maestro you simply register for a free account, download the Maestro Connector software, scan your music library within a matter of minutes, and then access your music from any browser or mobile app which is available for use with Maestro.

These are only a few of the top music streaming sites online. If you Google the topic you will find lots of opportunities to listen to your favorite selections from any genre and any period of time.